Khami - Reshuffle
by JohnPeacekeeper
Summary: When Kazumi finds a familiar little piece of trouble, what kind of incidents will she end up in? A little birthday gift for my friend Qiana King.


**Author's Note:** (Wow I haven't done one of those in a long time)

This is just a rushed little tale I spun for a good friend of mine, Qiana King, for her birthday.

Happy Birthday Qiana! Hope you'll like it.

As for everyone else, please check out her artworks and fanfictions.

* * *

One must dispose of their garbage properly, for one may never know where it may end up. For as advanced as Japan had become in the way of technological progress, it still had its share of scavengers and those looking to make a few hundred yen through what little resources they had available to them.

And so it was by pure coincidence that a certain black tube, broken in half and dented badly, was discovered in a trash bin along with several other recyclable objects. A few nicks here and there, but nothing short of a small application of glue and forceful application couldn't fix. Not too long and the tube regained its original state.

A black, collapsible telescope.

A few hundred yen, the scavenger could sell it for that much. A little polishing and it could look fancier than it did. But there was an even better marketing strategy available.

"Please miss, just eight hundred yen. My family is starving, they're sick, and we can't afford medicine. Can't you spare us mercy in return for what little we have?"

"U-Uhm, sure."

A high school girl, the kind you'd find anywhere in Misaki City. She kept her hair just above her shoulders, and a white ribbon was tied to her bangs. Timid though she once was, Kazumi Yoshida was not one to shy away from someone in need, especially not after the impactful events that surrounded her life.

As soon as the transaction was done and the old, homeless man had his money, he skipped away gleefully cackling to himself. Kazumi had only half-believed his story, but even if he was lying, he needed to. Humans were desperate creatures. _People_ were desperate creatures, especially for when it came to that which they couldn't live without, for better or worse. The cross-shaped pendant, Giralda, which hung on a thin chain under her uniform was a soft reminder of that truth.

"But what can I do with this, though?" she asked herself as she crossed the great bridge that spanned across the wide river dividing Misaki City. The odd little object didn't come cheap, yet she hadn't thought of a use for it yet. "Maybe I can peek on Sakai-kun while he's changing?" she giggled, blushing and shaking away the thought. There was no way in a million years that she would do that, even if she did muster up the courage. That would be playing dirty.

She peered through the scope and found that the glass was slightly cracked, but retained some magnifying ability. Maybe it would be neat to keep for a while, although it would look out of place among the more feminine objects in her room.

Kazumi was still playing around with the telescope when she neared the other end of the bridge. From there, she spotted a short, familiar figure wearing an orange hoodie and straw hat. Most distinctive was the unusually large pole wrapped in cloth strapped to his back.

"Khamsin-kun?" she wondered aloud. Perhaps he had returned to check up on how well the Tuning had held up amidst the chaos of many other battles within Misaki City. But he was still a ways a way and hadn't noticed her. Excited to see her dear friend again, she raised the spyglass to her eye.

Then everything turned black, but only briefly. When she regained her wits, her body felt lighter, like a feather. Yet, everything appeared so much higher than she was used to.

"Hmm… are you certain you do not need a moment to rest?" a deep voice resounded in her ears close by, but when she looked around, there didn't seem to be anyone near enough to her.

"Who was that?" Kazumi asked aloud, then recoiled at her own voice. It was still higher in pitch and soft in tone, but belonged more to a male child than a teenage girl.

"On your wrist," the deep voice told her. There, she found that not only had her skin turned dark, but she also bore a familiar beaded bracelet.

"B-B-Behemoth-san?" The dark-skinned boy's eyes widened like saucers upon the girl's realization.

"Hmm… it would appear that somehow, you had swapped places with my partner. Strange."

"Y-You think? It's me, Kazumi Yoshida!" the girl in a boy's body looked around frantically for her own body, finding it exactly where she had left it. Reeling on the side of the bridge with a telescope in hand.

"Hmm… that makes perfect sense then," Behemoth started to reason, when the dazed body of Kazumi Yoshida, now inhabited by Khamsin, lurched to the side of the railing and dropped the telescope into the river. "After it! If you value your old life then do not lose that Treasure Tool!"

"That was a Treasure Tool?!" Kazumi froze for a moment out of nervousness, but pushed past it and sprinted as fast as she could along the riverbank.

Oh, how light and quick this body was. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She felt immense strength and stamina within as well, as though she could run for days on end. She felt like she had the power to move mountains.

Was this what it was like to be a Flame Haze? Like Shana-chan? Like Khamsin-kun? It felt like her body had no limits, as opposed to her old one. For a moment, the thought crossed her mind that it might be incredible to become one. But that would be something to think about for another time.

The scope drifted fast down the river, just barely out of her reach. Racking her brains for a solution to catch the Treasure Tool, the girl in a boy's body gasped and swung her arms wide.

"Fuzetsu!" she yelled loudly, swinging her arms wide.

Nothing happened. Time still flowed as normal.

The teenaged girl in the dark-skinned boy's body flushed deep red in embarrassment, almost tripping over herself and slowing her pace anyway. "Why didn't that work?!"

"Hmm… I had forgotten what it was like to be with someone inexperienced in manipulating Power of Existence," Behemoth commented.

"Oh no," Kazumi fretted. For all the power she had in this form, she couldn't even pull off one of the most basic skills of a Flame Haze. What was it like for Shana-chan, or Sakai-kun? How much did they have to learn and train until they could perform the basics and ascend to where they were now?

While she still had no idea, her respect for the two of them grew. No doubt that they had to go through a lot. And her respect for Khamsin grew just as much, for having to learn at such a young age.

The telescope started drifting away, towards the center of the river. Now or never. As much as she felt removed from limitations in this body, it belonged to someone else, to her friend. And she was used to her own body to begin with. With a mighty leap, she soared towards the telescope.

She landed with a splash, but felt a cold, cylindrical object in her hands. She caught it! She actually managed to pull it off.

Caught up in the current, she scrambled towards shore. The effort was clumsy and involved more digging at the water than any actual technique, partly due to her panic, but mostly because of the large pole on her back weighing her down.

By the time she clawed her way back to the shore, she collapsed face first on the ground, clutching the telescope tightly in her hand. A shadow loomed over her, panting more heavily than she was.

She glanced up to see her own body bending down towards her, practically wheezing and covered in sweat. Not very attractive, she thought to herself wryly.

"Ah… huff… you… huff… haah… got… haaah… it…" Khamsin in Kazumi's body extended a hand to the Kazumi in Khamsin's body.

Kazumi accepted the offered hand, but when Khamsin tried to pull her up, he ended up collapsing on top of her. An incredible yet familiar softness squished on Kazumi's back. Her face turned beet red.

"Ah… so that's why my back and my front hurts," Khamsin noted, retaining composure yet with a slight tinge of pink in the cheeks. Kazumi, meanwhile, turned blushed even harder.

"Hmm… she should be commended for acting quickly," Behemoth said. "Most would freeze in shock and confusion when thrust into such an odd and unexpected situation."

The swapped boy and girl got off each other and sat up on the ground across each other, averting their eyes from each other.

"W-What just happened?"

"Ah, for some reason or other, it appears you have acquired a Treasure Tool known as Reshuffle," Khamsin explained. "Looking through it will allow the viewer to swap consciousness with whoever they look at. We should be fine if you look through it again."

"R-Really?" Kazumi wondered. Trusting him at his word, she looked through the Reshuffle.

Darkness enveloped her vision once more, but it passed quickly, and she regained her old body. A body which felt light as a feather, but in a completely different way.

That's right. She was anemic. Before she fully realized that, she passed out.

* * *

When she woke up, the sky was still a dull orange. Her head rested on something warm and soft. Turning, she found Khamsin looking down at her.

"Ah, you're awake," he said.

Kazumi blushed lightly upon realizing her position, with her head in his lap and them overlooking the river from some steps leading up to the road. "S-sorry, I caused trouble for you," she apologized with a soft voice.

"Ah, do not fret about it," Khamsin said. "It has been a very long time since I had felt that kind of weakness."

"Oh," Kazumi turned away, disheartening.

"However," Khamsin continued. "I believe that has only made you a stronger person in my eyes than before."

Kazumi blinked. "Huh?"

"Even when you have limitations, you are the kind of person who will not allow her will to be shaken," Khamsin said. "You might even make an excellent Flame Haze, although I would not wish that kind of fate upon someone as gentle and caring as yourself." He gave the girl a small smile as he said that.

Kazumi stared back at him and returned his smile with a wider, brighter one. "Thank you," she said.

They spent the rest of their time there in a comfortable silence, taking in the beauty of the present world. The world one protected. The world one cherished. The world both lived in and cared for.

Behemoth had been tempted to tell the girl that Reshuffle only allowed those who had no walls between their hearts to switch between one another, but he had no wish to spoil their moment. But he was glad that his contracted Flame Haze had someone he could open his heart to.

A few more days in the city than planned would do wonders for the two of them.


End file.
